The
importance of telegraphy in US history in the nineteenth century cannot be
understated. Before that period,
messages could only be transmitted physically, such as by mail or courier, or
visually. Line-of-sight communications,
such as smoke signals, beacons, reflected light signals, and semaphore flag
signals, had limited usefulness over long distances and were ineffective at
night or during bad weather. These methods of communication typically served
governments and armies, not the people.
A
number of European inventors experimented with electrical telegraphy in the
early 1800s. However, it was American inventor Samuel F. B. Morse who is
credited with designing and patenting the first successful electrical telegraph
in 1837 in this country. As the message
had to be encoded, Morse and his partner, Alfred Vail, also developed the Morse
code signaling alphabet for use with the electric telegraph.
While
the first telegram in the United States was send by Morse on January 11, 1838,
it is his message to Vail on May 24, 1844 that most Americans know: WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT. While Morse was referring to electric
telegraphy, his message portends the electronic age with messages and information
now transmitted worldwide to the masses in a matter of seconds with all its
benefits and risks.
The
Morse/Vail telegraph quickly spread across the country with the overland
telegraph connecting the east and west coast completed on October 24, 1861,
making the Pony Express obsolete. The
telegraph was critical during the Civil War.
Faster, more efficient communication expanded an army’s operational
radius. Troops, ammunition, food and
other critical resources could now be quickly deployed as information changed. Enemy movement could be easily relayed to
officers allowing for greater strategic planning of attacks and
counterattacks. While miles of telegraph
line were laid during the Civil War, they were often felled by sabotage, underscoring
the critical importance of telegraphy to the war.
This
Thursday afternoon, August 9, Jim Mullins will discuss the telegraph at History
Adventure Camp for Kids at the Giles County Historical Society museum. Several years ago Mullins donated to the
museum a telegraph machine once used here in Giles County The campers will
learn about the importance of the telegraph in this country’s expansion, as
well as about the Morse code. There may
even be a few encoded messages sent from the Historical Society that day! The museum complex will be closed the week of
August 6-10 for the History Camp, but the community is welcome to visit and see
all the fun activities that week.
Dots and dashes. Kids participating in this week's Historical Society History Adventure Camp will try some hands-on encoding on this telegraph machine, once used in Giles County.
